AS THE WATER RISES

[sinkpearls]

THE SUN SINKS,

YANG SEOHAN. (he/him + they/them). of yeonghae origins & a water descendent dragonborn, appears 27 but has walked for 288 years. the overseer at due north trading company and currently residing at victory garden apartments. DUSKFALL in TOUCH-ME-NOT.

penned by LEON, 21+, he/him.

INTRODUCTION , BIOGRAPHY , CONNECTIONS

[sinkpearls]

MINHAE,

"were these your ideas or part of your parents' itinerary as well?" making a face, minhae folds the paper away from the pastry to take a real bite, regretting that seohan's presence makes it improper to burn the thing for offending him.

seohan watches the light reflect off of his hands, illuminating the curve of his features as he accepts the flowers, watches the magic drip off of him with ease as it crawls up his arms. "i'm sure they were just as beautiful." he says, because there's different worlds within worlds, each facet woven together piece by piece. "perhaps one day i can see it with my own eyes."

he's listening, albeit quiet, thinking of those deep, dark waters and all of the things that he's lost to them, memory, connection. his eyes are a bit blank, because had it been a handful of years ago, seohan wouldn't have been standing here to receive minhae. ilseo would have been here, flowers and pastries and seashells, he's sure, and seohan would have asked him how it had all went when he'd gotten home, waiting up with brandy and sweets and asking for details. ilseo would've had to do the charming and the falling in love, seohan in the shadow of it all, watching him do it.

now he does it for him. he doesn't think minhae would've hated his brother, to be standing here. seohan always thought he was the right one to do it, more than him. and then ilseo went looking, and seohan stayed, and so now, here he is, filling his shoes. seohan wonders, endlessly wonders, if ilseo would have done a better job.

a hollow smile, as he starts walking. it's not his best work. "perhaps not. it's a good thing i stayed, then, to be here to receive you."

the flowers take his mind off things. he shouldn't be thinking so much of his brother, now, when he's trying to make an impression. it catches up with him at times, when he feels like he can't quite fill in the places he's left empty. the blooms fill the air with a sweetness that cloys, and he thumbs at the knot of fabric he's wrapped around the pastries, hands free now to do so, fingers closing around a favorite as minhae chooses his own.

"no, i've never gotten lost. i was here when that port was held up by a few measly boards and nails, i've repaired a few, myself, over the years. it was you i thought after, earlier." seohan says, fingers covered in powdered sugar, taking a bite as he casts a glance at minhae— nibbling at parchment.

he's smiling despite himself, traces of sugar on the edges of his lips, brushed against a dimple as he keeps his laughter to himself and tries to hide it with the back of his hand over his mouth. it's cute. his face is cute, as he takes a real bite of the pastry, and seohan reties the fabric and lets it swing in his other hand.

shaking his head a bit, he does his best to not let the pastry drip sugar down onto his clothes. "they're mostly mine. my parents arranged the time and the place, but the rest is me. being new in town, you deserved a fresh bouquet of flowers and pastries from the bakery, even if you'd had the chance to try them already. they're some of my favorite places."

swallowing another bite, his walk is slow, meandering, no real destination other than forward. "if anything, they'd probably scold me if they knew i have you walking and eating. but i've done this many a time, just devoured a whole bag while taking all of the spring blooms in. i think it makes them taste a little sweeter, don't you think?"

[sinkpearls]

MINHAE,

"yang seohan?" minhae closes his umbrella and tucks it away by his hip, where his bag rests. light ripples over his hands, the tendrils dimming as he grows distracted assessing seohan in front of him. be good. be courteous. his parents' hands on his shoulders, heavy. do not falter. seohan smells like the sea. minhae's lips thin into a mild, placid smile. "did you pluck those flowers from the reefs, my prince?" be pleasant. he should have thought to procure some flowers too.

he'd been preoccupied with the sight of two bees buzzing around a nearby flower bush— they'd been nestled between the petals, their wings a blurred hum as they danced around each other, sweet with nectar, blooming with promise. it's why he doesn't look until he hears a voice, and tries not to look too startled because of it, his name, in a new tone.

his eyes sweep over the figure in front of him, an umbrella, tendrils of light like the sun spilled right over him, opened up and poured right out from the very vein and origin. breath caught in his throat, he nods, tries to find his voice as he calls him a prince. maybe some day, in the distant past, that could have been something his ancestors wanted for him, dragonborn poised to sit on the seat of a throne, thinking them far more befit the fate than self professed royalty.

"yoon minhae?" he asks in return, but he thinks that there's no denying it's who he's been waiting for. perhaps he hadn't quite diminished the presence of sea in his countenance, but it's something that can't be helped, when it sticks with him more often than not. it is a part of him. smiling, he shakes his head and still reaches out to provide him with the flowers between their figures.

"they are not from the depths, but perhaps i could go down to get you some for your next bouquet, provided you'd like another." the sun haloes him like a crown, wisps of his hair breaking the glowing orange of the sky behind him, and seohan thinks it to be true that if anyone is a prince here, perhaps it is the one in front of him. the very light that swathes his figure and spills from his hands is evidence for seohan enough.

"on the way to get your flowers, i procured a few sweets, as well. if you'd like to have some while we walk." he gestures to behind them, where the paths into the gardens start, where seohan watches those pair of bumblebees zip off into a path unknown among the flowers, ripe with budding blooms.

"after you, my prince." he returns, a certain shine and mirth to his eyes, a slight bow as his hand curves towards where they're bound. that smile on his lips is clear in his gaze as he regards him in equal measure, wanting to see how the light of his hands pours over the flowers, the pastries, illuminating their walk among the hedges of greenery that waits on them.

"i'll make sure we won't get lost." he says it pleasantly, a sweet curve to his voice just like the pastries tucked in the crook of his arm. while seohan hadn't minded admiring the garden, and he knew of minhae's relative newness to town, it's a teasing in turn to what minhae had already given him. he'd long perfected the delivery of his words and the careful, peaceful arrangement of his features while he says things— the only recollection of the meaning is a simple shine in his eyes, light on the water.

[sinkpearls]

HAEUN,

“thank you, it’s appreciated. if you don’t expect me to take all that inside by myself.” she doesn’t doubt seohan will do the honours - haeun’s not really built for it anyway. “we’ve been sorting new products in the office, there’s just so much backlog now with the festival— come, i’ll show you the way.” and then, with a look back to his face: “do you need help with that?” sometimes, her mother used to tell her, it pays to be attentive. she’s been working on it.

"not at all." he returns, and picks the box back up with a smile. he lingers behind her, letting her lead the way to wherever she needs help. "lead the way, i'll try and help as much as i can." seohan says, because he's specifically blocked out a chunk of time to help out here and not be expected back in his office, as well as anything else that draws his attention on the way back.

seohan's shaking his head as she looks back and inquires after the box in his hands. "don't worry, it's not heavy at all. i could probably carry two more." he laughs a little to make it light, because in reality, two more might just make him look more of a fool than he'd feel.

"as long as you don't mind showing me the way, that's all i need. i always end up getting lost around here, all of the rooms end up blurring together for me since they mostly look the same."

even the hallways they find themselves down spark memory even with the familiarity, he remembers, once, his brother pulling him along when he'd tripped on a root to get his arm wrapped, even as his skin sought to seal up the wound as soon as it happened. ilseo was worried about scarring and what his parents might think if he brought him home stained with blood, and with the seawater only bound to sting, he'd stayed waiting at his side as seohan watched the light pour over him and mend it completely.

he's drawn out of his mind once he realizes they're at the office, where he sets down the box next to another and brushes his hands off on his jacket, clasping them together and looking around. "what else can i do for you?"

[sinkpearls]

DID YOU FIND ANYTHING IN THE SEA,

he pulls his jacket properly over his shoulders, tucking his hands behind his back as he walks between all of the stalls. smiles at the merchants that he'd seen in his office already, of the ones that he memorized the name and the product so that he could know them when he saw them once coming down to the port.

spring summons always brought quite a flurry of activity to the company, and he knew it to be important that he was aware of what was coming in and out of all of the ships, especially with all of the extra contracts he'd been approving with new prospects coming in for all of the fun.

today's his own business, however. he'd made his rounds down here before, and so he thinks it easy to clear out two things at once, keeping a half sharp eye to look out for a familiar face in the crowd between his browsing and follow ups. he'd told beomsu through letter that he'd meet him here when the sun was high in the sky, and despite the amount of times they'd met for this, there's still a quiet uptick in his nerves.

it's like he hasn't been receiving the same news for years, now. perhaps it should have dulled his senses, but even for the amount of times he's been in the water, willing it to show him something thousands of miles away, something, someone, he knows is still out there, he knows, it's still nothing.

it's always nothing. quiet home, same news, same water, running over him numb and unyielding, cold as the day he left. all of this pretending ran him thin a long time ago, but he thinks giving up is just another snapped string leading him back to his brother.

even if the news is the same, it's hope that it won't be, one time. he hopes just one time, beomsu can come to him with something, but somehow he's gotten used to these meetings as the only connection to that horizon, the one he's longed for ever since that boat didn't come back, that letter didn't come, that he hadn't heard his voice, seen him, since he waved on the edge of that ship until seohan couldn't see him anymore, disappearing on that ocean line as the sun spilled orange.

he reaches out to pick up a ware from a table in front of him, smiling at the woman wrinkled by the edge of time, gloved thumb sweeping over the silver of the pocketwatch, chain hanging out between his fingers. "it tells you the time of wherever it is the one you love resides." she leans over, gesturing to the hinge on the side to click open and show him the clock face.

he hesitates, still, holding it closed in his hand as he looks up one more time, a moment to prolong what he doesn't want to see, doesn't want to know, and sees beomsu flash within the crowd. raises his unoccupied hand in a small wave to bring him over, clear, bright grin.

what he doesn't want to see, doesn't want to know. it's such a thin line, curiosity, the truth, what he seeks. he tries to tell himself it all always leads back to the water.

@saltbrine ?

[sinkpearls]

CAN YOU HEAR THE STORY,

the guitar underneath his hands resonates throughout the tavern, fingers gliding over the strings in a gentle, slow melody that accompanies the rumble of his voice. the music's from his heart, as his mouth weaves the tale, propped up on a stool in the candlelight and background hum of the patrons.

"the moon spoke to me when i was younger. she's quieter, now, but i used to hear her like a hush right at my ear. she'd tell me things, especially when it was at the peak of night, three in the morning before the sun would start trying to tear all of the dark out of the sky."

seohan's boot taps against the ground, keeping time, hood pulled down low over his eyes, lips brushing against the strip of fabric concealing the lower half of his face.

"lead me all the way to world's end until the sunrise, and i learned about the hush of the earth, and that if you'd sit there long enough, you could feel the thrum right against your fingertips. water, dirt, sand, there's stories all tucked right there in each grain of the weave that you can ease open like the skin of an orange."

he shakes his head a little, he doesn't even really look out to the crowd, anymore, somewhere far away where he doesn't have to think much past the memory, maybe those old, dusty curtains that try to paint a fence between him and the rest of the world outside.

"all i ever knew is that alone truly isn't alone. the very fabric of it all, tucked into the moon's voice, the earth's tide, the pull of the sun, even at world's end. even at the edge of it all, there's so many stories there. memory, what people have left behind even with just a glance. the world will tell you about it all if you take a moment to look."

he's found so many quiet things tucked in the corners of this town, everywhere he looks to love, to remember that the love is there, that it stays. it follows him even as he steps down from the stage and walks to the bar, slides up and nods at the bartender who makes him the whiskey he always gets after he gets off stage.

there's someone already there, one that he'd noticed had listened to his stories a few times now, a new face, though. he's used to seeing people pass through, presences fading like the curling of paper, time eased out in front of him like the spill of a pool.

he gets a glass in his hand and pulls down the fabric to take a sip, shadows obscuring whatever the candlelight doesn't catch.

"do you happen to like my stories?" seohan asks, curious. slides the fabric back as he leans on an elbow, melted by the warmth of the hearth and the low murmur as someone else takes the small stage.

"i think i've seen you here a few times, but you're not from around here, are you?"

@flightheory ?

[sinkpearls]

HAVE YOU WATCHED THE SUN RISE,

the sun sets everything alight in a golden glow, touching the edges of everything seohan sees like it’s with the swift strokes of a paintbrush, like here, the sky and horizon and glimmering waters could all come together like it’s supposed to, yeonghae a cup overflowing with ichor that coats it all unseen. the victory gardens are a sprawl right behind him, where he lingers near the entrance, having arrived early with flowers wrapped and tucked against the crook of his arm, fresh, warm pastries from honeybee's wrapped in a square of tied fabric, still warm from the oven.

the flowers are freshly cut and rival the scent of what lingers in the garden ahead, and seohan watches the sun steadily sink across the sky as he waits, eyes the way the magic of the florist lingers in the bud, the enchantments of luck and peace, of sowing new relations.

his mind still cuts into the conversation he’d had with his father in his office that morning, that the new date they’d set him up with is the most auspicious one they’d found yet. it's the closest to engagement he thinks he's ever been— actual history between their families, even if it goes back generations, had set alight a fire in his father’s tone unlike seohan had seen since he’d handed him the position of overseer.

he wishes for this to go well, even more than that quiet murmur of his heart he doesn't dampen, then for that excitement in his mother's eyes as he left once she's shown him the letter. if this he can’t do right, then it runs even deeper, a disgrace to their ancestors for seohan to not echo whatever call that brought their families together even all those years ago, to honor it in his own way. the yoon's hadn't returned since the first blight, who else could welcome them back than the yang's, whose ancestors had saved those of their family even before the weave tore open and cast them apart?

honor, duty. its in the line of fabrics that he wears, a deep, emerald green folded around his figure, embroidered family sigil in silver, shining thread lining against his chest, of a dragon curled around a pearl, encased by flowing waters of the sea. honor, duty, yes, he listens to who came before him, even if they are nothing more than memories and whispers, even if all of this was never really supposed to be for him.

for him, now. he heard the unspoken meaning behind his father’s words, the time, the location, almost as close to when he gave him his title and position. not unlike, either, the last time he uttered his brother's name in that house, where his voice and his memory still lingered in the walls and seohan didn't dare to upset it further with another breath.

this is not something he’s allowed to mess up. this is not something he’s allowed to be tainted by personal memory or preference, this is duty. this is what he’s meant for. no matter then, what matters now, that all of those years in the shadow of what he looked up to was a spot left empty for him to fill.

so he fills, like water, tries to not spill over, fill just right. his hair’s still a little damp from earlier, combed back, seawater clinging to him and the suppression of anything else that makes him seem less than human. there had been nothing in the water to tell him of what to do, hasn’t, for years, other than the cradle of waves that knocked him back and forth down below, beckoned him deeper even as he rose up for air.

he’ll do this right, as reliant and unyielding as a morning tide, sweeping the beach right over. he’ll do it right. not as he’s always been, but now should be.

@heavenwrought ?

[sinkpearls]

DO YOU REMEMBER THE WATER,

memory grove is a long walk, but one he covets. it’s not one that usually he makes in the daytime, much less the morning, but the port and the shipyard had been full of numerous ships from farther waters and those returning, brimming with supplies and spring harvests, a sort of buzz that comes from excitement in the excess, to clear off the frigid waters for a warmer, blooming time.

seohan’s used to the shipments of medicinal supplies and products that he sends towards the temple’s way, but some are smaller, more delicate, than he worries about the progression to hurt the quality of what they’ve ordered, even past the sometimes difficult journeys they face in the waters here. it’s what he says, when anyone asks him why he’s setting aside time to make the trip. he won’t admit it’s an excuse to get out of the office, on those rare days he isn’t in appointments until the sun is ready to lower into the sky.

maybe he’s sentimental at heart, to walk through the town and try to find all of the differences, even as memory weaves perception with time. so many years and he assumes the finer details just start bleeding together into facets he doesn’t even notice anymore, but he tries. he tries, to see the cats that tend to linger in their favorite places, the steps of the theatre or an empty plant pot outside the armory, the flowers that start to bloom right when the weather starts changing, notes each of their petals, the perfume they give off.

it continues, into memory grove and to reflection’s light, where he drops off the few small boxes of precious material, and looks for any more he might be able to help to do. he doesn’t mind busy work, if it’s carrying things from one room to another, moving furniture, dusting off the front steps of branches after particularly harsh storms.

so familiar faces blend into view. one, in particular, that he had been familiar with even before the temple, one that sparked memory but not quite realization due to the distortion of water, and a hesitance on his part to invoke the matter past simple conversations and favors of aid. he spots haeun in passing and sets what he had been carrying down in greeting.

“good morning, haeun. have you been well?” his tone is even, kind. the temple’s always been peaceful, full of light and simple encounters. pleasant, to those in pain and seeking refuge from it.

“are you needing help with anything? i stopped by with some things from the port— there’s so many merchants selling new types of salves and healing solutions with the spring summons, so i brought some for you all to try along with the temple’s normal requests.”

@drowningyou ?

[sinkpearls]

hey there! i'm leon (21+, he/him) here with yang seohan, a water descendent dragonborn who's been in yeonghae his whole life (technically since the first blight). while he's usually tending to his duties between due north trading company and the shipyard, he tends to run pretty constant disappearing acts (usually into some kind of water) if you happened to be looking for him..

there'll be more under the cut, and i'll be updating his pages soon with a bit more depth, but leave this a like and i'll be around in your dms to plot and chat!

seohan uses he/him and they/them interchangeably, and while he appears 27 years old, he's been around for 288 years. this means his family was present during the blight, and also one of the original families that was around when yeonghae first started to form once blight was sealed. that said, his family's been involved in the creation of the due north trading company, and has been integral in the trading and voyages that take place in compass port (with a dedicated section to their own ships in the shipyard) so they're pretty well known around town

as an overseer, seohan signs off on important voyages and deals with most of the larger trading contracts that helps supply the town, and he's been in the position for a handful of years now, as given to him by his father

it wasn't originally supposed to be his position, however. seohan's older brother, ilseo, was the one who was set to take over as an overseer in the company, but as he set off to take a voyage in celebration of his birthright around 40 years ago, he never returned. seohan took over his position and his family resolutely tried to quiet the news of what happened and let seohan take over the position. he never speaks of his brother, now, as does any of his family mention him and actively Avoid doing so, but it's something he's never taken lightly in their denial and silence

he was very close with his brother when they were younger, and he took the disappearance of him in his life deeply. while tied to the company and the port, he's never been able to leave to go looking for him, and he still holds every hope that his brother is still out there and had his reasons for not returning

as such he very much feels Undeserving of his position and while he does handle all that he needs to for appearances and the continued importance of his family in the business, he usually finds himself anywhere else when he gets the chance

he's always been connected to the water due to his affinity with the element, and he's often found in the lakes and ponds of the blackwood, the southern wetlands, or at mooncrest beach swimming for hours (in part, because he believes that one of the only ways he can ever find his way back to his brother is by somehow communicating to him through the water, as he believes, all things return to the rain and sea)

he learned quite a multitude of musical instruments when he was growing up, and sometimes, he moonlights at whiskey's rest to play for the crowds on weekends, even though it's under the cover of a hood and mask (he can play Most instruments or sea shanties if you nicely request..)

they are very devoted to their family and position, and it's mostly what drives most of his decisions. it's been known for awhile now around town that his parents intend on marrying him off now that he's settled into his position, As Is The Way Of Things, and so if you've had the unfortunate view of him on one of his many blind dates, it has been through Gritted Teeth.. more recently, however, his engagement to yoon minhae (@/heavenwrought) has been taking over most of the previous gossip surrounding his parent's past matchmaking attempts

usually, he hides any of his draconic features during the day, but the yang family name has been around long enough that it's evident of their dragonborn lineage. if you happen to catch him when he's running a bit too tired, his eyes are usually the color of cool, blue pearls, scales of emerald green and ocean blue tinting along his neck, and sometimes, even the beginning of silver, almost opalescent curved horns from his temples

some possible plots to consider (i will finish a more solid plots page soon!):

you've been around as long as seohan/his family has, and maybe you even knew his brother, ilseo. with it becoming a much Avoided topic around town and with his family, maybe the both of you seem like the only ones invested in his appearance (and any possible news of what happened/anyone in the crew that returned without his brother)

he regularly lets you go out on voyages/rent a certain ship that he's seen that you have quite an affinity for. as such, he always has it ready, and tends to reserve it off to the side just in case you happen to come looking for a contract, and if you want to spend some more time with the ship, then he lets you

you also tend to deal with him in trading deals, your business/work supplied by what they receive in the port, and it's such a consistent deal that sometimes he comes by to deliver the goods himself. there's always a few extra thrown in, and perhaps he's coming by for the brief company, too

you frequent the blackwoods/southern marshlands/mooncrest beach and you just see each other there so much maybe you've just gotten used to Coexisting in the same space since there seems to be No avoiding each other

likewise, if you're in the water and seohan is just Always where he shouldn't be, like Taking Up Your Water Space. maybe you've seen him fully exposed with his draconic features and know all of those rumors of his family to be true, because he always tends to let them be revealed when he's in the water

when he's at whiskey's rest to perform, it's usually bracketed by taking up a table in the corner and minding his business with a drink. he doesn't have many stories to tell, but the ones he does he likes to retell over some drinks and good food, and you've both gotten used to interchanging them late into the night even if he never really gets around to telling you who he really is

you both are always renegotiating a contract, and its become a bit of a banter between the both of you. it's a risky balance between amicable and irritated, and one of these days, will you both ever find one contract that you're both satisfied with or will it finally all tip over..

he's at the shipyard quite often, working on ships and looking over construction and repair work on the ones the trading company own, and you might not even know he's the overseer due to the reason he's always down there doing things with his own hands, but he doesn't quite try to correct you, either. he's happy to be able to pretend, even for just a little while, that he's not Yang Seohan, Overseer

you also live at victory garden and just have general apartment spats.. he's playing the piano at three in the morning or his violin on the balcony at early hours and you do Not want a classical alarm clock, thank you..

im up for most things, and i'll have more information up about him soon for more possible connections and plots, but i'm eager to write with you all, or even just jump into something fun if you'd like!